More than a year after the city of Dallas began looking for someone to operate and manage the still-under-construction Elm Fork Athletic Complex in northwest Dallas, a winner has been declared: FC Dallas. Under terms of a deal still being hammered out, the soccer club would take over January 1 and move the complex's opening date to the spring of 2014 -- just in time for the annual international youth soccer tournament, the Dr Pepper Dallas Cup.

On Thursday the Dallas Park Board will discuss a contract that gives newly established FCD Management, LLC, control of the 138-acre, $31.4-million expanse of soccer fields on top of old landfill near Walnut Hill Lane and Stemmons Freeway. Under terms of the deal, the city will pay the subsidiary of Hunt Sports Group $818,008 a year for the next five years, with two more five-year renewable options.

"This is the conclusion of an exhaustive search," says Willis Winters, head of the city's Park and Recreation Department. He says FC Dallas, which actually plays in Frisco, won the bid "quite easily" after the city considered three proposals.

Winters says the city will split annual net revenue with FC Dallas, with the city taking about 75 percent of that income after expenses. FC Dallas will also be able to sell the naming rights and cut sponsorship deals; the club will keep about 20 percent of that revenue. Whatever money the city makes will go toward further improvements at the complex -- including a permanent maintenance facility and the addition of the long-promised championship field among the 19 soccer fields being laid down near the Trinity River.

"We looked at pro formas for five years to compare if the city were to operate, manage and maintain the complex," says Winters, and the complex stands to make "substantially more money" with FC Dallas at the helm.

"And most of that has to do with their expertise and their standing in the world of top soccer tournaments," says Winters. "They have contacts throughout the industry. They're able to bring tournaments to Dallas. No one else had the tournament management experience they do."

FC Dallas isn't commenting on the contract until the city council signs off on it, more than likely in September. Winters says it still has to go through a council committee, and those meetings are canceled through August. "But we want to get this contract moved forward as quickly as possible," says Winters. FC Dallas hopes to move its equipment on site by late this year, then take the keys January 1.

"We are in talks about potentially managing the facility on behalf of the city, but nothing has been finalized yet," says FC Dallas spokesperson Leigh Anne Gullett. "As it's an ongoing negotiation, I have no other details."

The complex's opening has been delayed for years. In 2010, council was told to expect a February 2012 opening, and September was the most recent opening-date promise made only last January. But yet another withering summer has made it difficult for the turf to take, and further delays are necessary to put off debuting a less-than-ideal product that will likely be branded with FC Dallas' moniker.

"We've got to get the fields in perfect condition by Dallas Cup," says Winters.

FC Dallas will also have the opportunity to host ancillary events at Elm Fork, from post-game fireworks displays to concerts.

Records on file with the Secretary of State show FCD Management was created in June 25 by Alan W. Tompkins, vice president and general counsel of Hunt Sports Group. Winters says the entity was created to manage the complex. But "they're all related," he says.

"I think we've found the very best operator that we possibly could engage to manage and operate this complex for us and meet our goals of having the highest-quality tournament facility in Dallas," says Winters, who expects some pro-player exhibitions to be held in Northwest Dallas. "There's so much FC Dallas can bring to this complex, and the association with our professional soccer team is just a huge bonus."